It has been two decades since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists included, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased stateside, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group more money than any of their records. It sold well over 500,000 copies in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most installments came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
